Forgotten Whispers
by Lady Nix Ravenblood
Summary: A story of unity between two vampires and the woman who loves them both. A woman of three worlds. Mortal, Witch, & Wolf. Bound to change the worlds of Vampires & Shifters forever. Born through prophecy, at the turning of the tide will she rise or fall? Only time will tell..
1. Midnight Velvet

****Disclaimer: ****The Twilight-verse belongs to Ms. Stephenie Meyer. I as the Authoress of **_**Forgotten Whispers **_**make no claim to it.

****Forgotten Whispers****__will __contain references a Polyamourous, Dom/sub/Domme relationship. And eventual Gore, Torture, and Violence. If this is not your cup of tea, please do not read.

Pre-read by my friend **_**Akh-Luna**_**.

Beta'd by _**readergoof**_

Many thanks to you both.

Welcome to my rather interesting mind and **_**enjoy**_**.

****Prologue****

Would I have changed a single step, if I had known then where this journey would lead me? No. Knowing they could have killed me, their strength able to snap my bones like twigs. No. Unequivocally… no! Their rejection would have been far worse than death; for they gave me something I so desperately needed as they drew me into their two separate worlds. One, the world of magick, mysticism, and Paganism, I had known since childhood, and yet I found they drastically changed and deepened my perception of it. The other, a slightly darker subculture of the human experience, I had only ever researched; until the day I turned twenty-four. I stepped into that world, with both eyes open and eager to learn. My journey began as a sub. But even then, I knew I had potential as a Switch. After two and half, nearly three years, I'd developed a bad taste in my mouth, regarding it. Though the desires remained, they did indeed shift. At twenty-six, I had chosen to withdraw and turn my focus inward. And even now, I am amazed at the hand of Fate. To think, it all began with a smooth southern drawl... In this world, I am known as "__Angel.__" And this is how my story began.

****Chapter I: Midnight Velvet****

****Angel's POV****

_"___Thank Goddess its Friday__." I thought to myself as I waited outside Midnight Velvet.

It was a new club; but I had heard good things about it and I needed to defuse. This week had been hell. I had been in LA almost three years now. I worked nights as a restaurant hostess, and spent my days working on my modeling portfolio. I refused to let my 5'1" height stop me. I knew if given a chance I could make it as a Gothic model, for I was certainly built for it. Yes, I had a handicap but I had spent enough time and money to make it inconsequential. Unless you saw the almost invisible scars, you would never know I had been altered in some way. But it, along with my pavement pounding, had yet to pay off.

These thoughts ran through my head as I stepped up to the club's velvet rope. I knew I was up to snuff, wearing my black leather pants, a black velvet vest with a white silk blouse, and my killer knee high wedge-heeled boots. My eyes were done in smoky purple and my lips slick with plum gloss, accenting my dusky and sun-kissed skin. After checking my purse and ID, the bouncer waved me through. I paid the cover and headed for the bar. Taking a seat on a stool, I slapped a five on the bar and placed my order.

"Smirnoff Twisted Apple." I said with a smile.

As the bartender approached me, he gave me an odd look before taking the money and returning with my drink. Like the bouncer, I could tell the bartender was Native American. But I could not peg which tribe by his bone structure.

As I took a sip, he spoke. "Hey, I'm Jacob." He said holding out a hand.

Smiling I extended my hand to shake his in greeting and replied, "Angel, nice to meet you."

The name fell easily from my lips as I shook his hand. However, not my legal name it always made things simpler. He seemed to read the truth in my eyes but did not call me on it, for which I was thankful.

"What tribe?" I asked after a moment.

"Embry, Quil, and I are Quileute," he replied.

"The other bouncer?" I asked him and received a yes.

"Arapaho and Cherokee," I said, gesturing to myself.

"It shows." Jacob replied with a wolfish grin.

"I'm glad." I chuckled with a shake of my head.

"Lift a hand if you need anything." Jacob said, as he made his way back, moving down the bar.

I sat and enjoyed my Smirnoff and the vibe the music created in my head. When I finished it, I lifted a hand.

"Yes, Angel?" Jacob asked as he came to me.

I gave him four bucks.

"Jell-O shot." I replied.

"Brave are you?" Jacob smirked.

"You have no idea." I said with a wink.

My mind went back to my previous thoughts as I waited. Being an independent model was proving difficult. Besides, I always had my web design and web graphic degrees to fall back on. "Here you go." Jacob said handing me the shot. I gave him a smirk, pulled the lid off, twirled my finger around the rim and tossed it back as Jacob walked away, grinning and shaking his head, moving away as I again got lost in my thoughts.

I had appointments with two freelance photographers on Monday, as well as three go-sees. The most seemingly, promising go-see was with the Whitlock Agency. They were new, a fresh face in the biz and from what I had seen of their photo spreads, I really wanted to work with them. Add into the mix that you had Carlisle Cullen, as the photographer, and you had gold.

Just then, Shinedown's "Second Chance" began to play.

"__How appropriate." __I thought, as I rose to join the other patrons on the dance floor.

I was lost in the music when my senses suddenly heightened. I felt eyes on me. Shocked my head snapped up, my eyes locking onto a cloaked figure. __Evil, predator! __My mind screamed and, my lip lifted in a silent snarl as I turned my back on him. The wolf in me alert to the danger.

You see, among other things I was a Wolf Therian. I danced through the song before I headed back to the bar. Shortly after I sat down a woman approached, carrying a tray with my drink of choice a Smirnoff Twisted Apple. "From the gentleman in the back corner booth," she said after setting it down. I braced myself prepared to come face-to-face with the cloaked cretin from earlier. Instead, I received a pleasant surprise as I followed her gaze. He was tall, always a plus in my book. Collar-length, curly, honey-blond hair, blue silk shirt, black boot-cut jeans, and lightly scuffed black cowboy boots. However, it was his eyes that had me momentarily transfixed. They were an impossible shade of gold. With a smile, I lifted the bottle in a toast to him.

He gestured as though tipping a hat in my direction and smiled in return. I turned to the waitress, hoping she had gotten his name. Alas, she had disappeared among the crowded tables. I rose, taking my drink with me. I began weaving my way to his booth. I was two feet away when I felt it - the subtle brush of power. I threw up a barrier as my eyes narrowed, locked onto a briefly shocked golden gaze, as a sense of calm swept toward me. He recovered swiftly as I closed the distance between us.

"__An empath__." I thought to myself.

Yet I __knew __it was somehow more than that.

"Thank you__.__" I said my expression relaxing into a smile.

"Good evening and your welcome darlin'," he replied.

Having a good ear for accents, I laughed and asked, "Houston, right?"

"Why yes, darlin'," he said.

"I was raised in Dallas myself," I went on.

"Jasper Whitlock," he introduced himself.

I did a double take then extended my hand.

"Well, it's a small world, call me Angel," I replied.

"A pleasure, Angel," he smiled and gave my hand a shake.

"Who is your lovely companion, Jasper?" I heard a smooth cultured voice behind me ask.

"Ah, Carlisle," Jasper responded acknowledging his arrival.

As I slowly turned around, I noted Jasper's hand seemed abnormally cold. As I faced Carlisle Cullen for the first time, I was struck by yet another example of masculine beauty. Not the egotistical sort, but the kind you can appreciate while respecting what lay beneath.

"This dark beauty is Angel." Jasper answered Carlisle's question.

As he continued the introductions, I began to wonder.

"__Both are here on the same night__.

__Impossible, what the hell…?" __I thought to myself.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Angel." Carlisle said with a charming smile.

Holding out a hand, I replied, "As am I Carlisle."

However, instead of shaking my hand as I expected, Carlisle brought my left hand to his lips and placed a chaste kiss on the back of it. I was flustered having been caught off guard by the gesture. It was something I would normally consider pretentious, but with Carlisle, though it seemed wholly natural. I recovered; giving myself a mental shake,

"I have to be honest and admit I am a big fan of yours Carlisle. Your work is excellent; elegant, sexy, and tasteful. However, gentlemen I do not believe in coincidences."

And, as I said this, I noticed the long range Nikon around Carlisle's neck. I resisted the urge to tap my foot, barely.

As I waited for an explanation, I noted two things simultaneously. The flesh of Carlisle's hand and lips against my skin had been icy to the touch and his eyes were the same impossible shade of gold, just as Jasper's had been. As I watched the silent play-by-play between them, I realized something else too. In closer proximity, both their auras spoke of "Predator" yet not of "Evil." This left me feeling entirely confused. Everything I understood showed one most often walked hand- in-hand with the other. I could not understand who or what I was dealing with, but still I was not afraid.

At last Jasper spoke, "Forgive me, Angel, I prefer to observe perspective models in a more relaxed setting."

I felt there was more to it than that but did not press the issue. I brought my Smirnoff to my lips, taking a drink.

"May I?" Carlisle asked, holding up the Nikon.

"Why not," I said as Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" came on.

I placed my Smirnoff on the table and headed back out on the floor; Carlisle falling into step right behind me. Closing my eyes, I began swaying my hips to the music, letting the rhythm carry me.

I vaguely heard the click of the shutter. But it was a subliminal sound compared to the beat pulsing through my body. This was something I had always done, losing myself in songs when I danced. When it ended, I opened my eyes and caught sight of the pole centered in the middle of the floor. An idea struck me and I moved toward the pole as the opening bars of Enrique Iglesias' "I Like It" began. I rolled my hips, falling easily into the belly dance rhythm. The pole served as partner, rather than my focus - I was not attempting a striptease, after all. As I began, I faced Carlisle allowing him to get several more face shots. He motioned when he had enough as I lost myself to the music again. As the final strains faded into silence I felt it again, eyes on my back. A low growl rumbled from my lips. I knew before I turned whom I would face. I spun fast not wanting __him __behind me.

"Lovely, Bella signorina," he said with a smile.

In the low light, his eyes seemed to flash red. I did not speak; instead, I strengthened my shields as a chill slicked down my spine. Somehow, I had lost sight of Carlisle among the throng. My instincts warned me not to engage him, yet keep him off balance.

"Bella notte," I began.

"Ah, you speak Italiano," he stated.

"Bellissima," he approved.

I felt sick but forced out a smile.

"Piccola, signor," I advised.

All the while, I prayed he would not touch me. Knowing I would likely lose the battle to remain passive.

"I am Aro and you are... my dear?" He questioned.

"Unavailable, signor," I replied.

I turned to leave, his hand flashed out shackling my wrist in an unbreakable grip. The pain was sharp as my bones ground together, yet I refused to flinch. The wolf in me snarled, crawling beneath my skin. I heard him inhale as impressions flashed across my closed eyelids. __Imperious command, violence, death, and something wholly inhuman. __Fear clawed at me now but I did nothing to show it. I felt the sharp probe as he tried to get past my shields and inside my head.

"Signor, release me now." I said the growl in my voice audible.

The next thing I knew Aro was pressed tight against my back. My stomach roiled in the presence of such evil, but I dared not move.

I spoke slowly, "I did not give you permission to touch me, signor."

"Well said, Bella Domina," he began.

However, the way he said it made it sound crude. How he knew I could not guess. He had yet to breach my shields and I had only ever told two people in my life. My head felt like it would split wide open and I refused to give in, but the strain of the mental battle was wearing heavily on me.

"I said release me!" I yelled, yanking my wrist backwards though knowing I would likely sprain it.

"Ah Bellissima, I will not. For there is more to you than meets the eye; is there not?" Aro quipped

My teeth snapped together, I was __so __done with this.

Time seemed to slow down then as I watched Jacob leap over the bar; Embry and Quil close behind him. I felt the wolf closer now than she had ever been, as though I could truly shift my shape. I watched stunned as Jasper rose from his seat and strode straight toward me. His expression was thunderous and dare I say, possessive… Jacob's was nearly a mirror, yet somehow different. This made zero sense to me. I was clearly at the center of something I did not fully comprehend. Though I gathered, enough to know it __was __metaphysical in nature. Trapped, I felt utterly sick and was edging nearer toward panic; yet able to keep my face empty of my inner turmoil. At last, with his composure regained, Jasper reached us and stood directly in front of me. And as Jacob and Carlisle closed in from my left and right time began to flow normally for me again.

"I would do as the lady asked, Aro." Jasper advised.

"Ah, Mr. Whitlock, but she is no mere '__lady__' is she?" Aro asked, boldly.

I heard three growls and looked up into the dark eyes of Jacob.

"Yes, yes, I know the rules." Aro said, dismissively.

At last releasing my wrist, I cradled it against my chest.

"C'mere honey," Jasper whispered his accent thicker betraying his emotions as nothing else could.

As irrational as it might be a part of me wanted to walk into his open arms, desperately. Yet I knew that if I did one of us, or possibly both, would fall apart.

Jacob locked eyes with Jasper and he seemed to hesitate over something before Jacob stated, "She is safe with us."

I know my face was a question mark.

"I know that better than most." Jasper replied.

With a nod, Jacob passed me gently toward Embry and Quil. The minute the three touched me I could hear their thoughts and felt a sense of coming home.

From Embry and Quil I heard _"Little sister,"_ and from Jacob, _"Little sister, you're home now."_

My gaze jumped to his face, as he touched my shoulder and whispered, "It's alright."

The wolf in me calmed at his touch.

Suddenly I was exhausted, and that was really saying something coming from someone who had trafficked in the magickal and mystical from the time she was a small child, there had been too many shocks in one night for me to process.

"Leah," Jacob said her name like a prayer.

She broke through the crowd to stand at my elbow. The pixie cut suited the angles of her face. And as I looked at her, I realized she was my waitress from earlier.

"Take her back to the ladies' room," he finished.

"Wait," I raised my hand wanting to stop and take account of what had just happened.

The undercurrents in the room were thick enough to cut with a knife. I let my gaze rest on Jacob, Jasper, and Carlisle in turn. As I read each of their expressions, I knew I was only at the beginning and had much to learn to fully understand what lay ahead. I then stepped from within their protective circle and faced Aro across the twenty feet that now separated us. An unexpected move it seemed as gasps echoed around the group.

I could read intrigue in Aro's expression but little else. Jasper reached toward me but I shook my head. I would stand my ground alone, refusing to show weakness.

"There may be more to me than meets the eye," I stated proudly, "but those of your ilk are too far beneath my notice to ever know what or why."

With that, I turned my back on him, and walked back to where Leah stood waiting. We walked to the ladies' room in silence, but as soon as the door shut, I lost the battle and raced for the stall my stomach heaving as my system rebelled against the psychic overload. I shakily rose to my feet and exited the stall. I rinsed my mouth and carefully washed my hands before I turned to face Leah.

"Leah, what the __hell __was all that about?" I asked, motioning with my head at the closed door.

"First let me ask you one thing," she paused, "Girl. Are you ballsy or just plain crazy?"

"Call me Angel and any who really know me would likely say both." I replied.

"Good just so we're clear," she quipped, but I would not be deterred.

"Start talking Leah, I know more is going on here than I can see with my eyes alone. What have I walked into?"

Before she answered, I noted a flicker of evasiveness in her eyes.

"Don't think now, just sleep on it. You are already aware of part of it in a sense," she began.

"Cryptic answers won't help your case with me," I glared.

"And __him__! Who__"or more precisely what,__" the fuck is__he__?" I asked.

"I've felt evil like that only once before, and wish I never had. It made me so ill…"

I paused needing to will my again rolling stomach into submission.

"Tell me, Leah, I detest fighting blindly."

I "__knew__" a fight was coming, I just did not know when. . My voice rose and I backed Leah into the wall opposite the door. A deep growl was in my voice. The rage coming up so fast I nearly vibrated with it. I felt the wolf alive under my skin. I turned to the bank of mirrors and froze. My eyes were cobalt blue in the reflection tossed back at me.

"__The color of my eyes when I shifted into the wolf in my dreams." ___I thought, stunned._

"Your wolf she's," I began.

"Yes… Though not precisely like you," Leah said, obviously anticipating my next question.

"Jake, he's…," I started.

"Alpha of the main Quileute Pack," Leah answered.

"Which would make you Alpha Female, right?" I asked.

"No, shifters don't work like real wolves in that sense." She said.

__Okay…__I should be running for the hills but I was confused and curious. I was needed here but I could not figure out why.

"I'm his Second and his imprint," Leah went on.

"Imprint?" I questioned.

"His life centers on me, as I do on his," she replied.

I could not mistake the depth of meaning I felt flowing from her in the way she spoke her answer. I gave myself a minute to digest all she had said then I asked the first of many important questions.

"What's my role in this?" I asked her.

"I can only say we have a prophecy foretelling the coming of a woman," Leah replied.

I gave her a hard look before I realized.

"Jacob?" I asked. Leah merely nodded her head.

I drew a deep breath and on the exhale forced myself to relax. When I looked back at the mirrors my eyes were once again honey-brown flecked with gold.

"Now, what about the grabby cretin?" I asked and watched Leah's gaze freeze over.

"As for Aro and that lot look to Cullen or Whitlock," she responded as she spat Aro's name with repressed fury.

At least I knew her sentiments echoed my own.

"Ah…," I replied.

Then I backtracked a minute.

"You said Jacob was the Alpha of the main Pack…," I began.

"There is another Pack in our hometown of Forks, Washington on the La Push reservation," Leah said.

I got the distinct impression the peace between Packs was tentative at best.

"Okay, I'm done grilling you, let's go," I said, still cradling my right hand against my chest.

Watching me, Leah said, "You should have Carlisle take a look at that."

"What, is he a former medic?" I asked.

"Something like that," she said, being evasive again.

As she opened the door who should I see but the man himself.

"Miss Angel," Carlisle began.

"Mr. Cullen." I replied with a sharp nod.

I had the satisfaction of watching him wince. Leah and I then brushed passed him. I was not done yet and as I scanned the crowd, I realized Aro was gone.

"Damn," I muttered to myself.

I spotted Jacob, Quil, and Embry with Jasper at his booth. I also noted Jasper's military stance, then I knew.

I strode through the patrons straight to Jasper's booth. My expression was a mask, betraying nothing. I felt him using his gift, but I would not be swayed.

"You're not off the hook yet." I told Jacob as he, Embry and Quil went back to work.

I gave Jasper two minutes of perceived calm before I released my emotions. My smirk was hard edged as I watched him as he sucked in his breath and his eyes widened. I sensed Carlisle behind me but that mattered little just now.

"Not wise to use your talent on a woman who possesses the same." I began.

My fury was not enough to bring him to his knees, but it was a near thing.

"I don't need some macho cowboy rescuing me. I'm not some damsel in distress." I finished.

The look in his eyes contradicted my words and spoke, "You certainly needed somethin' darlin'." I didn't think, didn't even give a moment's pause, my left hand just flashed out in a lethal slap that never had a hope in hell of connecting. In a move faster, than I could track Jasper had my hand in a non-painful yet immovable vise grip.

I shuddered from head to foot, what the fuck was wrong with me. I had not the vaguest idea. I was not drunk; by Nyx, I was not even numb. And there was Jasper Whitlock, a veritable stranger and hopefully my future boss - though I seriously doubted that right now - just sitting there sending me back into the three-ring circus this night turned out to be.

"Don't." One word; that is all he said at first.

I was acting as if he was my… No! I refused to finish that thought; I had not failed to notice his wedding band. I took one long proverbial step back.

"Mr. Whitlock, let go," I said.

"No," he replied.

"What…?" I fumed.

I was getting really pissed off now.

"I said let go, damn it!" I finished the word tête-à-tête we had begun.

Or so I had thought, before Jasper spoke.

"No, sit down," Jasper said.

"Whatever you're after I will never be it," I advised.

"Angel, sit down now!" Jasper never raised his voice; the command was all the more powerful for its lack.

I was down before I realized I made the choice to obey.

"Carlisle…," Jasper trailed off, motioning to my wrist.

Carlisle handled my wrist with gentle professionalism. This was all so surreal. I felt as if at any minute I would awaken from a dream.

"Are you a former EMT, Mr. Cullen?" I asked.

"We'll say or something and keep everything mellow," Carlisle said.

"Mellow? Yeah, right," I quipped.

"It's only a minor sprain but there is bruising. Try to take it easy," he advised.

I took my Smirnoff in my now freed left hand and downed the last of it in one long pull. As I set my now empty bottle on the table, I felt Jasper's hand on my shoulder. Just this once I lowered my shields allowing Jasper's gift to work on me.

His voice gentled as he said, "You see it doesn't have to be so difficult."

The note in his voice caused me to look up sharply at his face and I wished I had not. The look in Jasper's eyes was something I had secretly longed for years for, though never from a married man. I was torn; something drew me to Jasper Whitlock, but I would never sleep my way to the top and I would never be __any __man's mistress. As soon as his hand fell away, I made a beeline for the bar. I needed distance and fast. I did not want to think anymore, I only wanted to be numb. I practically fell on the stool.

"Two shots of Jack, straight up," I told Jacob as I slapped eight bucks on the bar.

"You okay…?" He asked.

__Hell No! __My expression said, but I just shook my head mutely.

I tossed them back, the burn exploding in my chest and my hands far from steady.

Angel's thoughts ran a mile a minute flashing through everything she had learned thus far, she pressed her fingers to her temples hoping to push back the exhausting flow of information in her head.

**AN: **Please read and review, it's my first full-length _**Pre-Twilight**_ story so be honest but not harsh.

Blessed be & I'll see y'all in Ch. 2

-Lady Nix


	2. Confusion & Visitation

**Forgotten Whispers**

**Chapter II: Confusion & Visitation**

**Jasper's POV**

As she disappeared back to the bar, Jasper turned to Carlisle.

"She's drawn to me and fighting it." He said.

"She's very confused." "Plus, she is a moral woman" "She thinks…" Carlisle began.

"I'm well aware of that, Carlisle." Jasper replied.

"The bond you, she, and Alice will share has never been seen."

"For each there has only ever been one mate, until now." He went on.

"Our world and its rules are changing." "And Angel is the first catalyst." Carlisle said.

"What it will mean even Alice cannot see." "Just give her time, son." he finished.

"Time is not on our side." "Aro is already intrigued by her." Jasper began.

"If he even suspected he would try to break her or kill her." Jasper went on.

"She's a great deal like you Jasper and she's strong." Carlisle said.

"She's also more vulnerable than she will admit even to herself." Jasper countered.

At the bar, Angel sneezed. "Someone's talking about me," she mused.

Moreover, she had a good idea who it was too,

"Only when it comes to her heart my son." Carlisle said.

Angel slid from the stool, and her nerves were a great deal steadier. She headed out on the floor as Nickleback's; "Burn It To The Ground" came on. Angel lost herself to the hard-edged rhythm until she felt a pair of masculine hands at her hips. Angel's head shot up, her gaze locking on Jasper's face.

"_For the love of Nyx, he is at least 6'3"_ Angel thought to herself.

"I told you, I won't do this." "Find yourself another girl, Whitlock." She said, prying his hands from her hips.

She whipped around so fast her dark chestnut, purple streaked hair slapped his chest. It settled back at her hips as she faced him.

"Back off," she said with a growl.

"Your work has nothing to do with this. For tonight, don't think, don't assume; just allow yourself to feel." Jasper said.

In seconds, Angel was swamped by Jasper's emotions. Anger, desire, frustration, fear, and something else... With a whimper, Angel nearly hit her knees under the onslaught. However, Jasper was there to catch her easily supporting her weight. Her head bowed a moment as she breathed through the influx of emotion. Angel tossed her hair back, pinning Jasper with her gaze. She knew from the look on his face that her eyes had gone cobalt again.

"You want me to let myself feel, fine." Angel said.

Her shields fell with an almost audible crash, her emotions rising to mix with his. They were a mirror of Jasper's all but a certain two. The one Angel could not or would not name and self-disgust. She would face whatever this was on her terms not his. Angel rose from Jasper's now slack grip stalking him back across the floor. Only when they reached the central pole did she speak.

"Hands on the pole and keep them there until I say otherwise, Whitlock." Angel placed Jasper's hands herself stretching up on her toes to place them a bit over his head.

The action caused her chest to brush against his.

"Are we clear?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am." Jasper said.

"Good, don't move." Angel said, heading for the DJ's booth.

She gave herself a minute to be sure her eyes would be their normal honey brown color. After she made her request, she headed back to Jasper. The opening bars of Nickleback's, "Something In Your Mouth" began. Angel started with a slow undulation of her hips. She kept Jasper at the center of her dance with an occasional brush of her hand. His chest, arm, thigh, and once dropping lower still, she smirked hearing him hiss through his teeth. Then she shimmied her body against his back.

By the chorus's first refrain, Angel was ready she met his eyes squarely, "Now Jasper now." she said. Jasper spun her until Angel's back was pressed against his chest. Angel gasped this close his skim was like ice. Either that or she was running a high fever.

"I played it your way, darlin." "Now you'll play it mine." Jasper whispered.

His breath cool against the shell of her ear as he leaned down to her, the whiskey and wood smoke of his voice gone gravelly. Angel's answer was a feminine purr low in her throat. Jasper ran his hands up Angel's arms, down the sides of her breasts and ribs before locking them around the bones of her hips. The curves of her butt settled firmly in the cradle of his hips. Angel followed his rhythm as Jasper began a sensuous glide. She locked her hands around his wrists at her hips. The music seemed to pulse through Angel's body as she laid her head back against Jasper's chest, her neck in a graceful arch. She felt his teeth graze the vein on right side of her neck. The predator in him was rising fast, coiled and waiting to strike. Her eyes opened locking on his, Jasper's gaze black as night. With faith and trust, Angel stroked her hands up and down Jasper's arms, calling him back.

She felt the ridges beneath his shirt,

"_Almost like teeth marks." _she thought.

Angel watched Jasper's eyes change back to gold as he came fully back to himself. He shuddered once, hard against her back. Then he pressed gentle kisses to her clavicle a homage to Angel's fearless inner strength.

"Even now does it feel wrong to be in my arms?" Jasper whispered.

"No, it feels right." Angel said.

"_Only too right…" _she thought on a shuddering sigh.

Jasper turned Angel in his arms as the song changed. Now it was Savage Garden's, "Truly, Madly, Deeply".

"I don't understand this." Angel said quietly.

"Don't question it, sweetheart." "Just take tonight and be." Jasper said his voice equally quiet.

Angel sang quietly along to the song. _"I'll be your dream." _

"_I'll be your wish." _

"_I'll be your fantasy." _

"_I'll be your hope." _

"_I'll be your love." _

"_Be everything that you need." _

"_I love you more with every breath." _

"_Truly, madly, deeply, do." _

"_I will be strong, I will be faithful." _

"_Because I'm counting on a new beginning." _

"_A reason for living." _

"_A deeper meaning, yeah." _

"_I want to stand with you on a mountain." _

"_I want to bathe with you in the sea." _

"_I want to lay like this forever."_ Angel lost herself to the music as Jasper swept her across the floor.

Dominance fell by the wayside for now. Each as bewitched as the other and the magic they made on the floor. Knowing this one moment in time was too precious to lose. Jasper laid his chin on Angel's head, listening as she sang. They may be similar in height, but that is where physical similarities ended. Alice's voice was light and airy, a butterfly on the wing. Angel's was deep and rich, a night-blooming forest. Alice was willow slim where Angel was all curves. They were both his, or more to the point, he and Alice belonged to Angel as much as she belonged to them.Though she was as yet, unaware of the depth of their connection.

Jasper wondered how Alice would react to Angel and vice versa. Though judging by Angel's Chanel boots he figured they would bond over fashion first. That led him to wonder how his other "adopted" siblings would take to Angel. Emmett would likely love her spitfire attitude. Edward would think both Alice and he had lost their minds. As for Rosalie, well, he really did not want to think about that just now. As for Carlisle, she was already a part of the family to him. Moreover, Esme would take Angel under her wing, as she had with each of them. When the song ended, Angel lifted her head from Jasper's chest as though surfacing after a long dive. The minute she stepped from his arms her expression was unreadable once more.

Jasper took her hand, refusing to let Angel retreat too far from him. She peeked at her watch then had to blink twice to be sure she was seeing clearly. Yeesh, it was two am! Angel had been at the club four hours.

"I'll take you home, darlin,'" Jasper said.

He had seen her glance at her watch and surmised.

"No thanks, I can take a cab and I'll see you and Carlisle Monday." Angel replied.

It would give her time to think. Knowing when he had hit a wall, Jasper released her hand and stepped back as they reached the bar.

"Here," he said reaching in a pocket and producing a business card, which he then handed to Angel.

She took it with a cursory glance.

"Are these normal hours for you?" Angel asked.

"My team and I prefer night shoots." Jasper said, as Carlisle appeared at her right again.

Holding out a hand, "Again, Miss Angel, it was a pleasure," he said.

"The pleasure was mine, Carlisle." Angel said with a quick shake.

She made a call on the bar phone then went outside to wait for her cab. Angel had barely breathed a sigh of relief when she heard footsteps on the asphalt behind her. She whirled, prepared to throw a roundhouse kick, to find Jake with his hands up and away from his body.

"Be easy, I just wanted to be sure you got safely in your cab." he said, before Angel could even speak.

She rose from her position slowly as he crossed to her.

**Angel's POV**

"Jacob, for tonight I've had enough weird." Angel replied

"I'll want answers just not now." she went on.

Angel rubbed the knots at the back of her neck trying to relieve the tension. "I'll see you later." She said as the cab pulled up. Jacob gave her a hand in then closed the door.

**Jacob's POV**

"Sooner than you might like I imagine." He whispered as the cab pulled away from the curb.

Jacob headed back into the bar knowing Carlisle and Jasper were already gone. He silently wished Jasper luck, knowing they would work in sync to protect Angel, she who was born through prophecy to begin the turning of the tide.

**Angel's POV**

When Angel got home, she paid the cabbie, walked to her door and unlocked it then stepped inside. Both of her pets met her at the door. Athena, her female gray and white Tabby mix. And Lucian, her pure white, ice blue eyed Siberian husky. Athena wove through her legs before stationing herself beside the waist-high oak table she used as an altar. Angel walked to it picking up a dark purple worry stone she kept there. She paced to the window rubbing it between her fingers. She looked up, already knowing what she would see. A red haze covered the full white moon. Lucian bumped his big head against her hip as she watched the clouds shift in the window's reflection.

"Blood is on the Moon, Lucian," she whispered, laying her right hand on his head.

"A sign of trouble ahead, big trouble's coming I can feel It." she went on.

Lucian growled low, sensing his mistress' unease.

"I just don't know what or why, but I know I'm at the center of a maelstrom." Angel continued.

She went back to the altar to put the worry stone back. Then Angel walked through the living room to the bedroom. She took off her club clothes hanging them back in the closet before slipping on her blue velvet robe and heading for her en-suite bathroom. She piled her hair in a messy bun on top of her head as she ran a tub full of hot water. Before adding lavender scented bubble bath hoping it would help soothe her wire taut nerves. Walking across the floor Angel slipped the robe from her shoulders hanging it on the back of the bathroom door. Walking back to the tub she slipped into the water with a hiss of pleasure. Angel buffed her skin with a loofah as she let the scent of the bubbles and hot water work their magick.

Lucian lay silently by the tub. Something he had done since he was a puppy, watching over her Angel often thought. As she brushed the loofah over her hips, Angel hissed, this time it was a sound of pain. She rose from the water to look, long finger-shaped bruising was forming on the skin of both hips.

"Well fuck," Angel said on a frustrated breath.

Something deep inside her rebelled against the idea that Jasper had left his mark on her, however superficially. He had yet to earn that right in her estimation.

"_At least,"_ she thought with a smirk, _"I was able to put him in his place."_

As Angel settled back in the water, she thought she heard a tinkling feminine laugh. A little while later after Angel climbed from the tub she walked to the linen closet opposite the bathroom door. Opening the door, she pulled a towel from the shelf closing it quickly as she dried off. Angel let her hair fall from the clip in a burnished chestnut and purple streaked cascade as she slipped the robe back on and belted it. She padded barefoot into her room and slipped her feet in her gray fuzzy slippers before walking to her closet again. She chose a white silk chemise slipping it over her head. The fabric whispered against Angel's skin. It was fussy and feminine but who cared… It is not as if she had a man to impress or something.

Moreover, had not for years by choice. A pair of intense golden eyes flashed through Angel's mind. She shook her head hard enough to crack her neck in two places.

"Whoa girl, I am so not going there." Angel whispered to herself as she climbed on her queen-sized four-poster bed.

With a gesture, Lucian leapt on the foot of the bed laying his head on her stomach. She laid her left hand on Lucian's back.

"I've been happy, Lucian." Angel began.

"Yet I can't help feeling something is missing." She said with a deep sigh.

It was not often Angel questioned herself anymore. Not since, she had finally woken up and wised up. She had done all the necessary things in their own time. Better late than never and hardly ever did she look back.

"Maybe I'll go out to the Rockin' K today; Gypsy always seems to soothe me." Angel went on.

Speaking of the Blue Roan mare, she claimed as her own from the first time she went riding.

Her last conscious thought at four am was _"Maybe it's time I found a new lover…"_

**Jasper's POV**

"I'll go first, Jazz." Alice whispered, taking a running leap into the tree outside Angel's window.

She carefully lifted the window.

"She might as well get that idea out of her head now," Jasper snarked.

"Jasper shh…" Alice admonished.

Then she climbed through the window. Alice felt the magick brush against her skin as she landed silently in the room. It was a sensation she had not felt since her mortal years in the asylum. A span of time she could barely recall now after so many years.

"She is a Witch-blood." Jasper whispered.

The minute he spoke, Lucian began to growl. Before Jasper could speak, Angel beat him to it with a whispered command of "Lucian, silent."

She shivered once then was still.

"Did you know?" he asks, turning to face Alice.

"No, with the wolf she is a bit fuzzy." Alice replied.

"How did you…" she trails off.

"Her energy like us and the shifters is different than most." Jasper said.

"Hmm…" Alice mused.

"Do you think we should…? Alice asked, gesturing to Angel asleep atop the bed instead of in it.

"As long as you don't foresee any problems," he replied.

"All clear, Jazz." Alice said after a moment.

He swept toward the bed on silent feet, staring the Siberian down as he lifted Angel into his arms. Her scent swept him up again something dark and rich and totally Angel. Alice gently pulled the slippers from her feet setting them by the bed before gently cupping her cheek.

The look in her eyes different from any Jasper had ever seen in their years together.

"You feel it too, the pull she has." Jasper said.

It was not a question but a statement of fact.

"Yes Jazz, of course I do." Alice replied softly.

"How is it possible?" he asked without really expecting an answer.

"I don't know Jasper but it is real," she finished.

"It is her soul as much as her blood acting as a siren's call to me." Jasper went on.

He heard Alice suck her breath,

"What do you see, sweetheart?" Jasper asked.

Already knowing what that fixed stare meant.

"It's not clear but Carlisle may know something." Alice said.

"Good, perhaps he can explain this." Jasper replied.

Though unnecessary, he shifted his grip as Alice pulled back the covers. As Jasper held her, the muscles around Angel's spine jerked beneath his touch.

He looked across at Alice, "You should ask her." She replied to his unasked question.

He shook his head laying Angel gently on the bed; she gripped his hand before he could step back. Alice pulled the covers over her then paused, just waiting. Angel's whispered words cut through the silent room.

"_Jasper no, I can't, I won't, please…" _Her tone was sharp and tense yet pained.

"She's trying to talk herself out of her attraction to you." Alice said with a smile.

"_Shh… sweetheart, I'm here." _Jasper whispered against the shell of Angel's ear.

He stroked his left hand across her temple down her cheek and down the side of her neck. At his touch, she nuzzled into his hand with a sigh. Her hand fell to the comforter as Jasper's gift calmed her. They both took one last look back then leapt from the window, closing it at their backs, and climbing down the tree, leaving Angel's home as silently as they arrived.

When they got home, Carlisle met them at the bottom of the stairs.

Edward's thoughts were a sneer in Jasper's head as he entered the foyer from the living room.

"_It's ridiculous, Jasper… the risks." "Are you crazy?" _

Carlisle thoughts were focused on a recent medical journal. Moreover, Alice was reciting the spring Ralph Lauren catalog in her head.

"_Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, brother." _Jasper thought pointedly.

Edward scoffed, and Carlisle laid a hand on both their shoulders, a silent request for peace.

"I need to hunt I'll be back tomorrow." With that, Edward headed out the back door.

Carlisle sighed as Jasper shrugged, taking Alice's hand and following him to the study.

"What is she Carlisle?" Jasper asked without preamble, as soon as Alice shut the door.

"Sit down, please." Carlisle asked as he paced behind his desk.

Jasper was too edgy to sit, but Alice perched a hip on Carlisle's desk.

"You must understand one such as Angel hasn't been seen in five hundred years," he began.

"And never has one drawn two of our kind at once." He stated.

"I believe that fact has to do with Angel herself." Carlisle went on.

He drew a deep though unnecessary breath before continuing.

"Angel is 'La Tua Cantante Dell' Anima'." Carlisle finished.

"Our Singer of the Soul" Jasper asked him, perplexed.

He nodded, "You said her draw for us both has to do with her…" Alice began.

"Does that mean she's "straddling the fence" for lack of a better phrase?" Jasper finished.

"It would appear so, Jasper." Carlisle replied.

"A supernatural soap opera," Alice said with a giggle.

"Alice…" Jasper sighed. "It'll be alright, Jazz." Alice said, chidingly.

"Let's go get a room ready for 'our' girl." Alice said.

"Thank you, Carlisle." she finished before dragging Jasper from the study.

Carlisle heard Jasper muttering "She won't be here for a while…" he said.

"All the more reason we should begin now, Jasper." Alice sang.

Carlisle chuckled before leaving the room to find Esme.

**Angel's POV**

Meanwhile for Angel the dreams had just begun. She was walking through a dense forest the moon was golden and full illuminating her path. Something was drawing her to the heart of the forest. Then she heard it the sound of two wolves howling in harmony. Her step quickened following the song. Angel tilted her head back howling a human counter-point. Most people would think her strange but the wolf was as much a part of Angel as the color of her eyes. Even in sleep, she knew it was a premonition. She had the same feeling of observing from a distance and living it at once. As the dream shifted, Angel knew something else as well, she was astral traveling. She saw two misty veiled figures only their golden eyes visible through the natural screen.

The next shift was sudden, dark, and volatile. She was alone and shadows surrounded Angel, her back pressed against a tall tower. Two cloaked figures stalked toward her, their eyes flashed crimson in a lightning strike. One Angel could swear she recognized. Before she could react, she felt, the other's psychic hold lock around her mind. The mental scream built tearing through Angel's brain. She threw her will against the invading presence. She called on Nyx and Erebus for help breaking his mental vise. Then a whispery voice chilled Angel's blood to ice.

"_Your Gods cannot help you now, Bella signorina…" _Aro whispered.

"_Hold her Dominic. she will not last," _he continued.

Angel was still fighting Dominic's power to no avail. Her mental scream stopped the moment the words entered her head.

"_Aro… What in the name of Hades are you!" _she spat mentally.

"_You need not concern yourself as I am sure you are aware," _he said condescendingly.

This was a vision but if Angel did not break Dominic's hold, she could die trapped between the Astral and Physical realms. In addition, Aro it seemed was aware of the possibility. Moreover, was using it to his own advantage.

**Alice's POV**

Alice was in kitchen arranging a new vase of lilies when the vision hit her like a freight train. Her scream of terror and pain tore through the house. Bringing all six, Cullens running at inhuman speed.

"Alice!" Jasper reached her first followed by Carlisle and the others.

"Jasper…" Alice spoke fast knowing she had not a moment to lose.

"Angel's in trouble, Aro has a new 'pet' he can trap a person's spirit when they are between realms." She began.

"She's fighting with everything she has but if you don't reach her in time she will lose…" she finished.

Jasper was about to bolt out the back door when Alice spoke again.

"Wait," she bolted from the kitchen and was back in a flash.

"Trust me." Alice said handing him a necklace. It was a small round piece of red Jasper on a silver rope chain.

**Jasper's POV**

He curled his hand around it and was gone racing the sun and time. Praying all the while, he was not too late. When he leaped through her reopened window, Jasper found Angel's pets growling and hissing. He closed the distance between them in a single leap clasping the necklace around her neck.

As though she could feel it, her hand locked around it. Angel felt the energy shift someone was in her house trying to help her. Her hand locked around something smooth and round.

"_No…" _Aro hissed, knowing someone was interfering in Angel's planned demise.

Angel felt the jolt as her spirit crashed back into her body. It felt like she'd fallen off a cliff. Her vision was blurry as her eyes opened .She swore she saw honey blond hair and golden eyes before lethargy took her under and back into sleep. Jasper had to work fast lest she realize something too soon. He put her under the moment her eyes began to open. Never in his one hundred sixty plus years had Jasper been so terrified. Watching Angel battle against an unknown, unseen, enemy made him sick. Watching her thrash as she tried to free herself enraged him. The predator in him craved retribution; he wanted to watch the flames rise from the pyre of the one who tried to take Angel from him.

He was about to leave again when he heard it.

"_Jasper…" _His name on Angel's lips froze him in his tracks.

His cell phone chimed signaling a text message. He knew who it would be, Alice. He opened his phone and read. _"Stay as long as you are able," _Meaning be home before sunrise. Seeing their mistress at peace, both animals approached within a foot of him. It was strange as most animals avoided his kind. Apparently they accepted him since he helped Angel. They both walked from the room leaving their mistress in his care. His left hand cupped her cheek once more. Angel gave a soft whimper. At once, Jasper was hit with a wave of loneliness and isolation so deep it brought him to his knees beside her bed. Underlying both was abject fear and still there was a deep seeded yearning. Jasper felt it all and knew in that moment what Angel wanted and needed most. Someone to love her for whom she was in spite of her flaws. It was the same for him with Alice and now Angel.

Jasper kept the comforter around her, but eased on the bed beside Angel drawing her into the strength of his arms. He was surprised when she merely curled into him with a sigh. Shortly after she fell into a deep, sleep and Jasper slipped from the bed wanting to explore her apartment, to get a feel for Angel herself. Framed above the bed was a painting. Ancient ruins atop a cliff with waves crashing against its face, the feel was intense and dramatic. The walls were painted a rich pale blue soothing in effect. Along the far right wall across from the bed was a dual set of bookshelves stacked one atop the other. He crossed to them his curiosity piqued. Jasper slid his index finger along several titles. There was Women Who Run With Wolves, When God Was A Woman, a couple by Carl Jung, and a dream dictionary. There were several on samurai and the Code of Bushido. One though caused him to freeze where he stood. It was a title Jasper owned himself, "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.

There were several books on metaphysics and her faith. In addition, near the bottom a treasure trove of vampire romance and fiction. It seemed even she was not immune to the mortal fascination. However, Jasper felt few if any humans could truly understand his kind. Yet Angel was still an enigma to him. There was also poetry Byron, Millay, Poe, Tennyson, and still others. The Shakespeare came as another shock. From the glimpses Alice saw before they risked coming here, Angel seemed so modern. However, her primary taste in literature spoke of the "Old World". Jasper had to wonder why…? It seemed at odds with the face she showed the world. Whatever the reason he knew the answer would come in time. He walked from the bedroom to the living room. Along the near left wall was her altar, set on a waist-high oak table, caddy-corner to a glass front cabinet with her magickal tools and spell books inside. Jasper wanted a closer look but a circle of energy hummed three feet around where the altar sat. It was not something he could see but he could feel it the energy was built up new over old. This was the center of her power base Angel's personal sacred space.

To cross the barrier would be a breach Angel would not easily forgive. Aside from that, some Witches could feel when such things occurred. It was not a risk Jasper was willing to take at this point. He also had to wonder how Carlisle would feel knowing his future daughter-in-law was a witch-born as they had been called in his time. As neither, he nor Alice had divulged that fact at present. Jasper knew despite his immortality that Carlisle was still a god-revering man. That being said it left him at a loss as far as his leader's reaction to the news. It was best he learn it now rather than later. Jasper walked toward the coffee table across from the couch having seen an open book on it. When he got close, he paused.

"_How ironic…" _he thought to himself.

It was an older book on the Civil War, one he himself was re-reading though he had lived it. There was no way she could know yet it seemed the Fates were already laughing at him.

He had an hour until sunrise shaking his head Jasper walked back through the bedroom to the window. Leaping to the tree he gently closed the window at his back. The fact that he and his family were even in L.A. was risk enough. It was wise not to tempt disaster; they worked, shopped, and hunted the mountains at night. Remaining safely sequestered indoors during the day, it was a good thing the city rarely seemed to still.

Otherwise they would have had a mass of other issues to contend with. It was not as if humans could see them in sunlight. Seeing, as they sparkled like diamonds, definitely not something mortals would easily forget. Adding to Jasper's stress, Aro had left Volterra in the care of Caius and Marcus to come here. For Angel, whether to kill her permanently or "collect her" he did not know. He also had no clue how Aro even found out she existed. However, thankfully he knew little at this point. As far as what she meant to the Cullens and the Pack as well as what she was. Angel seemed to have a shield where Aro was concerned. For that small miracle, Jasper was eternally grateful. He just hoped it was strong enough to keep him out of her mind until she realized her strength and her place among the Cullens and the Shifters. Though he feared, it was not, as evidenced by tonight's events.

It still grated on Jasper not knowing how Aro knew. Worse yet he knew about the treaty with the Quileute's as both factions were determined to guard Angel, at least the main Pack at any rate. It was why Midnight Velvet had opened, a neutral zone between Aro and those of the Guard with him, the Cullens, and the Shifters. The added money for his family and the Pack was just a bonus. Nevertheless, Jasper liked none of it, the current circumstances leaving him edgy with tension. He shook his head knowing these thoughts would get him nowhere. Jasper leapt from his perch in the tree beginning the trek home, trying to come up with a way to begin the next conversation with Carlisle.


End file.
